East Coast Trip

Hi Sidra,
Well we just returned from a two week trip to the East Coast. That's four legs of airplane rides. We went first to Dallas, TX which took about 4 hours. Then the second leg was from Dallas to Boston and it took about 4 hours also. On the return trip we did the same thing except backwards. You did pretty well both coming and going. You didn't sleep as much as you would have if you weren't flying on the plane, or eat as much, but you didn't fuss too much, either. From Dallas to Boston on the trip out the flight attendants rearranged some passengers seating so that we got an extra seat for you. That made that part of the trip a lot nicer. Near that end of that flight the flight attendant asked if she could hold you and then paraded you up and down the full length of the plane. They also brought you a pair of wings since you were on your first airplane trip. On the flights home, you were showing off your walking legs by going up and down the aisle of the plane supported by me. I couldn't see your face but your mom says you were charming the passengers as you walked. I don't doubt it, strangers are always taken by you.
The reason for the trip was to visit family on the other side of the country. We stayed with your mom's aunt Deb. Living in the same house is your mom's cousin Dina and her family, husband Timmy, and daughters Mia and Grace. Mia had her sixth birthday the day after we arrived but her mom told us that Mia was more excited about your arrival than her birthday. Deb lives in a 'two family house.' Deb lives on the first floor and Dina's family has the second floor. The third floor and basement are shared areas. We slept on the third floor, which could be kind of hot on warm days.
We also spent a couple of days in Maine in a house rented by your uncle David and his family. The house was on Long Lake. You did some swimming there in your 'floaty' and rode in a motorboat while your mom water skied behind it. Your uncle got you a nice life preserver to wear while you were in the boat. You didn't care for it too much, I think because the vest was necessarily stiff. You took your bath in the kitchen sink and as the picture shows you tried to suck on the faucet. Luckily for us, the bat who lived in the house was evicted before we arrived.
We didn't really stay at his house but a frequent visitor for us was your uncle Ben. He did host Mia's birthday birthday party and dinner one night as well. He came over nearly everyday we were in Boston and entertained you and served as tour guide for the adults. He is shown in one of these photos feeding you.
You did a lot of things while on this trip. I said several times while we were away that the astounding thing to me is that you won't remember any of this when you get older. I guess that's one of the main reasons why I am writing this, so you will know about it. Anyway, probably the most significant thing you did was go to your first Red Sox game as the stadium scoreboard shows. Your uncle David had the good fortune to have the opportunity to rent one of the luxury boxes at famed Fenway Park. It is close to becoming a historic building, built in 1912. It is the oldest ballpark in the major leagues and is the site of some historic happenings in baseball. It might have been more important to me than you as it was my first Red Sox game (in Fenway Park) too. Also, your uncle David's neighbor's son works for the Red Sox and controls the scoreboard displays. So that connection helped get you welcomed to the game on the stadium scoreboard. The bad news is that the Red Sox lost the game, making them 0-3 in games I've attended.
You did a lot of other stuff besides going to the game, too. You rode on the 'T' several times. You visited the New England Aquarium and Faneul Hall. You rode the swan boats in the Boston Common. You visited the 'Make way for Ducklings' statue in the Common and posed for pictures with your aunt and cousins. You went to your cousin's birthday party. You hung out at the trendy Coolidge Corner. You also had many visitors stopping by to see you.
Our meals were fantastic on the trip. Your mom's aunt Deb and your uncle David kept us very well fed. Everything they prepared was excellent, and so was the dinner at your uncle Ben's. I arrived home about 5 pounds over my usual weight, in spite of cycling a lot of miles.
When you got home you became very attached to your playpen. It is a little different than the one you spent time in back east. The side bars are just a little lower and you've discovered that you can reach them from a sitting position and pull yourself up. So for the last two days you've been standing up and sitting down, standing up and sitting down...The only problem is occasionally you fall down onto your back and can't get up. Then you get upset. But while standing on the side you are getting pretty casual about holding on with only one hand, and sometimes letting go completely. Just a minute ago you were on the bed and I was next to you. You used me to get up on your feet, then balanced with one hand, then let go. You stayed up for about a second untethered. You will be walking soon.
Well, the trip was really good for the family. The hosts were very happy to have us and were tickled to get to see you. They know you will be a lot different the next time they see you. Your mom has declared that this was the first of annual trips to the east. That's ok with me, I found some good places to ride my bike and there are tons of other things to do with you there.
Love, aba

Summer

Sidra,
It's been a busy and fast summer for us. It looks like I missed getting a post in here during July. You are now a few days past seven months old. We are beginning to butt heads over a few things. You have figured out how to yell pretty good when you aren't getting your way. It has been a little bit trying for us because you probably don't understand why we aren't picking you up and a holding you sometimes when you've made it clear that's what you want. We're trying to get the point across that you don't get to call all the shots, all the time. For example, you might be upset that you are still in the playpen or play center when you want to be held. We can't get you to understand that we want to pick you up and hold you, but first we need to finish that bowl of cereal, or pick up those toys you were using, or take the garbage out, or change clothes, or something like that.
I can't remember if I've put anything in any of these posts about your toughness, so I will mention it now. You have weathered a number of little tumbles and such without much whimpering. Like today, you got two shots at the doctor's office, and were done crying over it before we left the building. Even though we forgot to give you some tylenol before we went, like we were supposed to. And also today in your little backyard pool you held on to a new position you had learned until your arms gave out. Your determination lasted longer than your muscles. Your mom was also commenting about your 'grunting' when you are frustrated with something. She wondered where you get that trait. I said probably from both of us.
Well, you've had a busy summer, too. We moved into a new house in the first week in july. It was only next door, so the move was for more room. Anyway, you probably didn't get as much attention as you should have from us while we were tearing out carpet, painting, laying hardwood floor, and cleaning the new house. Not to mention packing and then unpacking.
But, you and I have a pretty good routine on some of these summer days. When your mom has to work, we go out for a bike ride (you sleep most of the way). Then when we get home we have lunch. Sometimes there is a disagreement about who should have lunch first. We had that little dispute today. But we settled it. Then you get some playtime in. Next is my favorite part. When you start to get tired, we go into our bed and I read to you until you fall asleep. Sometimes I fall asleep first. Anyway, I hope we continue to do that as you grow older.
Summer seems almost over, because soon we will fly to the east to visit family. Then shortly after we get back I will return to work. We are a little worried about how you will handle the flying. But, we had friend visit just this week and her daughter is just a little older than you. They said that they worried more than they needed to.
The photo captions here are: 1) my two best girls sleeping in, 2) My 7 month old daughter pretending to be a teenager watching tv, 3) The naked napper.
Love, aba

Progress

Hi Sidra,
you have been making some big strides lately. We have been feeding you some solid food lately, and you are getting to like it. Well, I'll say this, the second time we got the spoon out in front of you you knew exactly what to do. You nearly lunged for it. Anyway your first food is rice cereal mixed with your mom's milk. You seem to like it. You are still a pretty messy eater, though. I like to use the bibs with plastic fronts because what drops on the bib can be easily scooped up and returned to your mouth. We tried some sweet potatoes with you yesterday, but I guess you didn't like those as much. I wasn't there to see, so I don't know. We will try those again later today. The trick is to introduce new foods one at a time so we can see if you might be allergic to the new food.

Also, you are getting really good at sitting up on your own. This morning when you woke up from your first nap, I sat you up on the bed and let you have some toys nearby and you stayed sitting and entertained yourself for about 20 minutes. We still don't leave you sitting on your own on hard surfaces, but on the bed we can leave you for a while. You still like standing up a lot. You can't do that on your own yet, but are getting close. I can believe that you will walk before your first birthday, maybe even sooner than that.

You do like the water, too. We took you out for a backyard swim in your little pool the other day. I used the sun to give you a nice warm pool to swim in, and you had a great time. You had trouble sitting on your own because the bottom of the pool was so slick, but you even enjoyed laying down in the water.
love you,
aba

Noahs Quest 2007

Hey Sidra,
We just had the second annual Noah's Quest this last weekend. It's an event your mom and I created to help people remember your brother and also raise awareness of stillbirth and infant loss. It turned out pretty well, we had about the same number of walkers/runners as last year. We had a few problems with the results again, and we will figure out how to fix those problems. You got to participate, too. Your cousin Audrey and her friend Rachel Perry pushed you around the course in the 5km run, using the jogger/trailer that we give you rides in. You wore your Noah's Quest shirt like we did, and were a big part of the day.
One thing that everyone does at Noah's Quest is light a candle for the baby that they lost. We of course lit one for Noah, and I was holding you when I lit one, and told you that I hoped you would light one yourself next year. It was the hardest part of the day for me, holding you in one arm and lighting a candle for your brother with the other. It represented the best and worst events in my life. Your birth and Noah's stillbirth.
At the same time, I felt very proud of your mother and myself for providing this event for others like us. The grief associated with losing a child at birth or shortly after is very misunderstood by those around the parents of the loss. Fortunately we had Pat Schwiebert speak to the group and help explain what parents who have lost kids go through. Not only does Noah's Quest help us remember him, it helps other parents remember their lost children. The way Pat finished her talk was by saying parents of lost children feel "if you ask my child's name, I may cry, but if don't ask about my child, you'll break my heart."
The pictures here were taken by your Uncle David, who came all the way from Boston to attend the event.
You got a little bit sick the night before the event. You woke up about 3:30am with a runny, stuffy nose. Actually, you were still sleeping, but your mom and I were awake worrying about you because your breathing was so noisy. So, it was a hard day for us, but you were great all day in spite of your illness. I am getting the idea that you are going to be a tough little cookie, and will be happy most of the time in spite of what we put you through.
More soon about how you are progressing really fast recently.
Love, aba

Toe Sucker

Hi kid,
Your mom's brother mentioned that the blog hadn't been updated in about a month, so we better put something out this weekend.
You have a talent now that you might not have for much longer. You can get your toes into your mouth, and you don't seem to mind doing it. So, two of these pictures are of you doing that.
Since the last post, we had a fun family weekend in Sunriver. All the aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents were there. We had a great time and you got a lot of attention.
Also, we did some footage of you sitting up this weekend. I decided I should do it soon because you were getting too good at it and soon you wouldn't doing your funny fallovers anymore. We sit you up on the big bed so you won't hurt yourself when falling. Yesterday we practiced sitting and you started to get it but still were falling quite a bit. Today when I got the video camera you sat up for what seemed like about 2 minutes before going down. You seemed to be about twice as good at keeping your balance as yesterday. So I am glad that I got the video today. Next weekend will probably be too late.
I am only a week and half away from being through with school for the summer, so I will be able to update the blog more often and make more videos of you. We also did video of you in the Johnny Jump up, so that will probably be in the next posted video.
In two weeks will be the second annual Noah's Quest. It's a walk/run event in honor of your brother and other lost children. Your mom and I worked on that this weekend, scouting the new route and making a map. This year you will have your own t shirt, and you will get to do the walk with one (or some!) of your cousins. Today you went with us when we checked out the route, riding in the backpack like on the mother's day hike. This time, we put many layers on you, not wanting to repeat the our mistake. I think you were warm enough. You didn't complain too much, even though our full walk was probably as long as on Mother's day.
Right now you are listening to your mom reading you a book. But I had to interrupt that sentence to get a binky for you because you were 'grunting.'
Ok, that's all for now,
a new post soon!
love, aba

Big Weekend

Sidra,
It was a big weekend of new things for you. First, on Saturday you had your first ride in the trailer behind the bike. I can't tell you how proud I am to be the first to take you on a bike ride. Actually your mom and I both took you, but the trailer was attached to my bike. I'm not sure how much you can see from the trailer, but I could see you inside the trailer if I craned my neck, and I am very excited to be able to take you on short errands by bicycle. I really don't like driving the car unless absolutely necessary and I want you to grow up thinking that the best way to get somewhere is under your own power, instead of riding in a car. So, that was huge. Your mom was riding nearby the trailer, and since she could be alongside you, she could probably see what you were up to a lot better than me.
The second thing was that on Sunday was your first Mother's day. So your mom got to choose the activity for the day. We first went to the Wildwood Cafe near Brightwood for breakfast. I don't know if I should say first, because it was 10:30 when we got there and your mom and I were both very hungry by then. After that we went on a hike on the Salmon River trail. It is a beautiful trail through an old growth forest and along a wild and scenic river. You rode in the backpack which I carried. Hopefully you won't remember too much because you finished the hike in a miserable state. You were both pretty cold and pretty hungry. Also, we hadn't pulled you out of the backpack anywhere on the trip, and you might have been uncomfortable because of that, too. Anyway, you let us know about it for the last 15 minutes of the hike and it took quite a while to get you calmed down when we got back to the car.
I can't finish without saying that my completely biased opinion is that the two gals in the bottom photo must be the most beautiful ladies on the planet.
love, aba

Thumbsucker!

Good Morning Sidra,
A few days ago I gave in. You had been acting like you'd like to suck your thumb since you were born. In fact, you had been seen in sonograms before you were born with your hands in front of your face, and maybe even with a thumb in your mouth. The first week you were born you seemed to try it a couple of times but were easily discouraged. But recently, you really got a hankering for it and started doing it with both your hands.
I fretted over this, hoping that you would use a pacifier instead. So, when you really got a jones on for the thumb, I tried to dissuade you. I quickly realized that I couldn't watch you every second and pull your thumb out and replace it with the pacifier. You were too relentless, you could wait me out and find a way to sneak your thumb in. So, I gave in. I was worried that letting you start the habit would be bad for your teeth and require braces to correct it later on. But I found out that your teeth aren't in Jeopardy until you are about 4 or 5 years old. So, if we can get you to stop by then it will be ok. So, I will not lose any sleep over it now. It is interesting to note that both your mom and I were thumbsuckers as children, too.
Now I think I wrote earlier that you had rolled over, from front to back. You haven't really done it since that one time, so I think it was a fluke. Yesterday, in front of a wide audience of relatives, you rolled three times. I was stunned. But, the couch you were on was slightly slanted. Later in the evening, at home, you couldn't do it again. We've been practicing, so it should be happening soon.
You've been out in the sun lately, as we've had some nice weather. Today is not the day, but a couple of days in the last week have been nice and you've been outside. We like taking you out, but if you ride in the stroller, you fall asleep pretty fast and miss all the sights.
Oops, I almost forgot! We took you swimming at Kahneetah. It's a place in central oregon which has a hot springs and usually drier weather than here. So, you swam in the pool, well, we held you in the water, and we got you a little air mattress like floating device that you were able to lie in by yourself. You didn't protest the water at all. I wouldn't say you are a fish yet, but you seem to be comfortable in water.
That's all for now,
love, aba.

The Doctor

Hi Sidra,
you had another visit to the Doctor today. You got two shots, immunizations, one in each leg. You didn't like it too much, and began screaming immediately. One of the vaccines may give you a fever later on tonight. You took some painkiller before we took you to the doctor, and some more after we got home. Right now you are about an hour and a half into a nap. You seem to be doing OK considering the pain you were obviously in. It's hard on us, because we know that it is going to hurt you to get the injection, but the medicine is important.
You have been very good at sleeping so far. I just talked to my friend who has a son who is about 4 months older than you and he rarely sleeps more than 2 hours. You usually sleep from about 11pm to 5 or 6am, sometimes 7am. We are really glad that you are doing so well at sleep. Your mom likes to feed you when you wake in the morning, then go back to sleep until 9 or 10am. I usually get up about 7 and stay up. It gives me some quiet time in the morning to get some things done. That is, now that I am not going to work I get up at 7, if I were going to school that day, I would be rising about 4am anyway. But I am on paternity leave, and don't have to go back to work until April 30.
You rolled over for the first time yesterday! I was so surprised that I didn't get it on video, and tried to get you to do it again. So far, you haven't repeated the feat, but I'm sure you will. I think it was a skill thing, because when you did it, it didn't seem to take much effort. When you don't do it, you struggle until you get frustrated and have a tantrum. I think you are strong enough to do it at any time, you just haven't learned the right way to focus your strength.
You have been getting better at grabbing things with your hands, too. You are sort of starting to be able to grab something on purpose. Before, you could hold something we put in your hand, but now you are becoming able to reach and grab something. If you get a hold of anything, you pull it straight to your mouth. I guess that your mouth is your best investigative tool right now. You seem to have more control over your mouth than anything else.
We made a fun video yesterday, for your cousin Sara's birthday. It's posted at this link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5182724151536713629&hl=en
Well, now you've been asleep for almost 2 hours. I'm going to let you sleep, you've had a big day, and you will be much better tomorrow if you've rested.
Love, aba

The Smiler

Right now you are in your crib watching the mobile. You've been in a really good mood this morning and smiling a lot. You have the sweetest smile. And the sweetest voice, when you are not yelling. I am in the other room listening to you, and you are calling your contentment with the mobile. I am a little upset with you from last night. You wouldn't take the bottle of mom's milk from me. You did let your mom feed it to you. So, I am hoping we will get over that and I can feed you later today. Mom is out on her Saturday morning travels right now. She teaches a class on Saturdays and you and i hang out together.
You have changed a lot in the last month. Of course, you've gotten bigger. But you used to hit things with your hands, but you didn't have much control over it. Now you can reach for things and grab them a little. Then you seem to have trouble letting go sometimes. But you are taking an interest in things you can see a lot more, too. Also, you are beginning to sleep longer at night. Not every night, but last night for instance, you slept from midnight until 7am, which really pleased your mom and i, so we were able to get rest, too.
now you are sitting on my lap. We are going to go for a walk to get the newspaper soon. You are just a little angel right now.
Ok, signing off. I won't wait another month before the next post, I promise.
love, aba

The Eulogy

I know this is a really a blog for Sidra but I have to write a post about Parker. He went to the Happy Hunting grounds on February 10, 2007. It was a very hard thing for both Carol and I. He was in failing health though his senses were sharp. He couldn't stand long enough to finish peeing.
That's not how I want to remember him though. I want to remember his exuberence for life, loyalty and play. He was unfailing in his devotion and showed it everytime you entered the house. Especially for me, he very nearly followed my every move. His attention almost never wavered from me as long as I was near him. He was insatiable as a playmate. He would fetch for as long as his legs would hold him, and since we didn't meet him until he was already 8 years old, we had to be careful not to push him too hard. He also was unparalleled at giving and receiving love. I want to remember how he would stand at the top of the stairs wagging and lowering his head waiting for me to come up to hug him. And how when sleeping outside or in a tent with him, you had to fight him for your share of the bed. He was a bit of a stress tab, when walking with us, he would constantly turn and touch his nose to your leg, as if to check to see that you were still with him.
He had some strange habits, too. Sometimes, he would be outside with me while I was working in the garage and though I knew he needed to pee, he wouldn't do it until you told him to. Sometimes he wouldn't eat unless you stood or sat with him while he ate. The best thing was that he never barked. In the time that we had him, he probably only barked a dozen times.
His presence in the house is now greatly missed. It will be a long while before I can wake up in the middle of the night without wondering where he is.
One of the best things about him was how he helped us through tough times after Noah died. He was the reason Carol got up on some mornings, to take care of him. In reality, he was taking care of her.
The picture shows him on one of his best days, the day carol and I got married. He had played hard the day before when we had a dinner at my folks house and the neices and nephews had run him around. He rested while we wed, looking majestic in his bow tie.
We won't forget him........

The Many Faces of Sidra

Hi Sidra,
The game your mom and I have been playing lately has been catch Sidra making a new face. It's a pretty fun game. You are making different faces for your varying emotions so there is plenty to look at. There is one pose where you make a tight circle with your lips so that it almost looks like you are trying to whistle. We haven't been able to capture you in a picture doing that yet, but we'll keep trying. Here we have a couple of good poses, one is just a few minutes old.
In your first few weeks, we bragged to everyone about what a 'good' baby you were. Meaning that you were very easy to please and not very fussy. Well, we still brag about you but your dispositon has changed a little. Now you are a little fussier when you are awake. You love to play with the toys on the side of the changing table, and you love to look at the monkeys hanging above your swing.
We were thinking about taking you on a long bike ride with us in May, the Reach the Beach ride. You would have ridden in the trailer. When I was searching for your first bike helmet, I found out that you probably won't be old enough to go on the trip in May. The suggestion was that we should wait until you are a year old before we do that. It bums me out, because I am very excited to take you with me doing something I love so much, but I can wait a little longer to make it safer for you.
Well, that's all for tonight.
Love, aba

Touchdown vs. the Mummy

Hi Sidra,
Well today I will tell you about a couple of your favorite positions. The Touchdown is your favorite. Since the day you were born, you've liked to lie on your back with both arms up like you are signaling a touchdown. You see here in the picture. The first one I took a few minutes ago, the other one was taken in the hospital when you were about 2 days old.
Another favorite position of your mom and I is the Mummy. When we've fed you at about midnight or so, we would like you to sleep for about 4 or 5 hours if possible. So what we do is wrap you up really tight in some blankets. For you, it is like being in a straight jacket. Your arms are down at your sides ( which is not like the touchdown position you like) and we wrap you like a burrito. The idea is that you will feel snug as you might have felt in your mom's uterus before you were born. It does seem to work. You sometimes fight it for a while, and we rock you to sleep. But if we can get you to sleep that way, you will usually sleep for quite a while so we can get some rest.
I also need to tell you that I did feed you two days ago. Your mom pumped some of her milk, and while she was out doing some errands, I fed you her milk from a bottle. It was pretty cool. You were staring at me the whole time, and you sucked it down quick. We won't do that very often, because we want you to feed from her breast mostly, and for you, using the bottle is a lot easier. You don't have to suck as hard on the bottle. Still, I look forward to doing it again soon.
I should tell you what you are doing these days, too. In the last couple of days, you are studying the little toys that hang on the diaper changing table really closely. You are even reaching out and hitting them with your hand. For quite a while I thought that you were hitting them randomly because you were swinging your arms around and you were close enough to touch them. Now I think you are doing it on purpose. Last night you sort of laughed as you were banging them.
We've been trying to keep track of your growth, as best we can. Our scale might not be accurate enough to really weigh you, but we think you are about 9 pounds now. And we measured your head, which seems to be pretty big for a girl your age. The important thing is that it is bigger now than when you were at the doctor's a couple weeks ago. So you are growing. Your weight gain is supposed to be the fastest now, while you are under 6 months old, than any other time in your life.
Another cool thing that happened is that we saw another girl about your age the other night. The first thing was that you were much bigger than her. You looked like a linebacker, she looked like a place kicker.
I was really stunned when the other girl cried. I had been holding you as you were getting hungry and fussing a little and crying yourself some. When the other girl, Grace, cried the first time, you immediately reacted to it. Like, hey, there's another baby here. It was cool.
Well, you are going to wake up hungry pretty soon, and you will probably need a diaper change, so I better wrap this up.
Love you more everyday.......
aba

Tummy Time

Hi Sidra,
Right now I am in the 'office' typing this, and you are in the bedroom in your bassinette sleeping. I am listening to you on a baby monitor. You are making your sweet music of contentment every now and then. You are two days away from being 3 weeks old. You, your mom and I have fallen into a pretty good routine, mostly based on your needs. You get fed about every 3 hours or so, although we let you sleep longer in the nighttime, so we can sleep too. Your mom gets the most intimate contact with you because of the feeding. In a couple of weeks, I will get to feed you a bottle of your mom's milk. I am looking forward to that. So for now I am getting my contact with you mostly by changing your diaper. I don't mind it at all. You fuss a little bit over that procedure, as you protest a little bit the tightness of my diapering. Once it's on, though, you are fine with it. The other thing that you and I do when you are awake, which isn't much sister, is 'tummy time.' T That's when I put you on your tummy and you try to get turned over. Usually you try to turn over. I think you like being on your back more, so you do try to turn over. But sometimes you seem content to sleep on your tummy, so I try to get you to stir and turn over. The reason we do it is to help you develop your neck muscles so you will be able to hold your head up, sit up, etc. as soon as you can.
One thing that you do when we are done with our 'workout' is completely relax. You will be really tense, kicking your legs, flailing your arms, yelling at me, just really carrying on. Then when I turn you over, you take a deep breath, and relax. Usually your legs are up, and as you relax they drop down to be level with the floor. I took a video of this and hopefully it will be posted here.
Also, I was telling you that I was bummed that you probably won't remember that there is snow on the ground right now, and the kids (and adults) have been sledding on the street. We don't get snow like this every winter, so you might not see any in our neighborhood for a few years.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=944324832903463494
The above address will get you to the video, if I haven't been able to post it here.
Love, aba

Welcome!

See, I told you it would be different once you were born. You're now over a week old and it's the first chance I've had to write a new entry. You've been keeping us pretty busy.
Anyway, you were born on 29 December 2006 at 12:46pm. You weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and were 19.5 inches long. It was a pretty amazing experience. At 10 am, you were in your mom's uterus and drinking aminotic fluid. Three hours later you were on the outside breathing air like everyone else.
My son Chris reminded me today that I've always said that new born babies are never attractive. Well, you are the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. I admit that being your dad, I have bias, but many people who have seen you or seen your picture have the same assessment. And you are an extremely good baby so far, too. You're not too fussy, only when you are hungry, and you make the sweetest music when you are being held and either sleeping or falling asleep. You are hard to sleep next to, however. Half the time you are asleep you are a little wiggly worm, squirming constantly. So that keeps the person trying to sleep next to you awake.
The surgery that your mom had to have for you to come out is not that pleasant. So you were probably three days old before she actually changed your diaper. I had that honor, almost exclusively during that time. That's not to say your mom wasn't doing anything for you, she was doing your feedings, which weren't that easy to do.
Today, as I write this, I have to stay away from you. I have been mildly sick for the last 24 hours or so, and you don't have a very good immune system yet, so I need to keep my germs away from you. It's no fun not holding you and changing your diaper. I have to keep my distance until I start feeling better.
The top and bottom pictures here were taken on the day you were born. The middle one is after a bath when you were just over a week old.
I'm so happy you are finally here, and healthy. We have a lot to look forward to in watching you grow.
love, aba

Your Big Day!

Wow,
today's the day! You are going to be emerging from your mother today. We are all very excited to see you. We were at the doctor yesterday, and you seem ready to come out. We saw your face a little bit on the ultrasound. Just as cute as your brother.
By the way, we are going to call you Sidra Leah Cohen-Mallon. Which makes me wonder if we should change the name of the blog, but we will worry about that later.
So, big changes today. Until now, you've been pretty easy to take care of. Now it will be a different story. You will require more of our attention. But we're looking forward to it.
See you on the other side......
love, aba

Aunt Deb

Hey girl,
you are due to enter our world tomorrow. Also, an important member of our family just arrived yesterday. It's your mom's Aunt Deb Goodman.
She is quite possibly the nicest, most compassionate person I've ever met. Her presence here is bringing your mom great comfort in this stressful time. She is also a fantastic cook, so we're going to be well fed while she's here. She came in from the east coast, Boston. Some other relatives of ours from the east will be here for your naming ceremony at schul in a couple weeks. Your mom's brothers Ben and David, along with David's family. Your mom's brother Aaron and his family live nearby, and will probably see you soon, too.
love, aba

Grand Canyon

Hi kid,
Today I am going to tell you about something that we will do together as soon as you are old enough. We are going to visit the Grand Canyon. It is a natural wonder in the southwest United States that everyone should see. I've been there a couple of times, but neither time was it very statisfying. Now I know why. Your mom and I were talking to a friend of hers at the store and the subject of the Grand Canyon came up, and she told about hiking through the canyon. She did it all in one day. I'm thinking about a family backpacking trip that might last about 4 days. I am very excited about it. The reason for hiking down to the bottom and then out the other side is to really experience the wonder of the place while getting away from the tourist traps around the rims on both sides.
I'm sure this will be a difficult trip, but will be adventurous and fun, too.
I can't wait!
Love, Aba

Parker

Hey kid,
tonight I want to tell you about Parker. He's the family dog, and I doubt he will be around long enough for you to be able to remember him. He's about 12 years old right now and showing his age. He's been having trouble getting around as well as he used to partly because of arthritis and partly because of getting a little weaker with age. We've had him since he was about 8, so he's been our companion for about 4 years now.
He's the best dog. Since we've had him, he's barked maybe 3 or 4 times. He's just so mellow and well tempered, you can't help but love him. In his younger days he was a champion (in our eyes) ball fetcher. He was tireless as a player. We could kick the Kong and throw balls to him endlessly. He loved to swim. But, he would walk next to you loyally when you wanted to just walk with him. He's very social, too. At least with people. He doesn't really like to play with other dogs, but hates to be left alone. He loves to be included in any family activity. He's been spending the days at work with your mother pretty much since we've had him. He lays under her desk and is always there to keep her company. He's been everywhere with her. He's been her 24/7 companion since she brought him home in the fall of 2002.
Now, we help him get up and down the stairs, and help him get up sometimes. He also has been unable to control his bowels for a while, so we have to be ready to clean up his poop in the house. But, we don't mind because we love him, and he loves us back. We also think about how it is sort of helping us be ready to deal with changing your diapers soon. While he is slowing phisically, his mental accuity hasn't dropped. He still knows when someone opens a banana or an orange that he might get a bite of.
In the first picture here, he is looking stately in his bow tie at our wedding. The day before the wedding we had dinner at my parents house in Hood River. The kids there were throwing him the ball a lot and he really got worn out. So the day of the wedding he was content to be pretty mellow and just sit in the middle of the procedings without wanting to play. The other picture just shows his pretty face.
As I said, I don't know if you will ever really get to know Parker, but we might have another family dog while you are growing up. And if we do, we will always compare him or her to our beloved Parker.

sleep tight,
love aba

Competition

Hi sweetie,
Tonight I want to tell you a little bit about your mom and I. First, I guess I should say something about how we met. We were introduced by a mutual friend, Donna Frankel. I had met Donna online and we had dated a little bit. Donna told me that there would be no future for us because I wasn't Jewish. This frustrated me because she waited a while before telling me this. But, we continued to see each other occasionally on a friendly basis. Donna mentioned that she knew someone like me who was "driven," and said we should meet. So, the next time I saw Donna, who is a pretty high maintainence person, I said when do I get to meet this friend of yours?
Well, your mom didn't want to meet me right then. Donna hadn't told me but I learned later that your mom was sort of halfway broken up with a guy who was bad news for her. She was also recovering from a car accident and wasn't ready. Later your mom gave Donna the OK to give me her email address and phone number. So we traded chit chatty emails every now and then and traded pictures that way. Finally, we set a date to meet at a restaurant. It's funny to think back about it now, because your mom came to the restaurant from a yoga class and had on gym type pants. I say it's funny because she was dressed that way when we met, and now she hounds me because I like to wear what she call 'tights' all the time and she wants me to change when we go out in public. Anyway, we had a nice time and found lots of things in common to talk about. She was prettier than the one picture I had seen of her up to that point. I was taken by her dark beauty and trim figure.
The next time we saw each other, we met for a bike ride, meeting at your mom's work. I had gotten pulled over for speeding on the way there, and had to call her while the cop was in his car and tell her I might be late. We rode bikes around Sandy, ending up at the house she had just bought, which is where we live now. I think your mom thought she would out ride me, have to wait for me, etc. She had been a really good mountain bike champion in the past. But, I am pretty strong and had been riding more than she in recent years, so she said later that I impressed her with my riding. I was happy to have met someone who could ride with me. I know why I love riding, but it's hard to convince someone who doesn't do it why it's so compelling. Probably the key thing about that 'date' was how we parted. I think we shook hands, but I took her forearm in my hand and squeezed it a little. She knew what that meant, and says she thought "Oh, no. This guy wants to be serious." At the time she says she wasn't ready to go down that road, but fortunately, I wore her down and eventually married her.

Well, I made the title competition, so I better say something about that. Your mom and I are both pretty competitive so I think you might turn out to be that way, too. I don't have to be competitive at everything, but once you start keeping score on something, it's hard not to try your best to win. So, sometimes, we won't keep score. But, if we do, look out.

All right, keep sleeping and growing little one, we're getting ready for you....
love, aba

50

Hey there,
I am writing to tell you that I just turned 50 years old last week. Normally I don't make a big deal of my birthdays and really didn't want to on this one either. But, a few months ago your mom threw me a big suprise party. Since it was quite a while until my real birthday was going to happen, she really caught me by suprise and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I'm glad she did it, it shows how much she cares about me. I gave her a suprise party when she turned 40, but I didn't do a very good job of hiding it. She sort of knew it was going to happen, just not when. But the night we had her party, by the time she got home, she had it figured out.
But I didn't really want to write about parties, I wanted to write about age. Since I'm 50, I'm going to be a lot older than your friend's parents, most likely. Also, I will be 65 when you are 15, and by the time you graduate from high school I will be nearly 70. While I am 50, I don't feel like I'm fully grown up in some ways, so I don't think my age will be too much of a barrier in our relationship. I still remember being a kid. I plan to stay fit enough to take you on a cross country bike trip, a long backpacking trip, maybe a kayak float down the Yukon, nordic hut to hut skiing, and more. I think by the time you are able to do those things, I will still be able to do them.

Your mom and I want to have another child after you, so for your new brother or sister the age thing will be even greater. Your mom only has a few more years to be able to have another child, and she's a little weary of being pregant for most of the last two years so we will try for another pregnancy not long after you are born.

by the way, we checked your heartbeat today and last night. You were a little sleepy today, so your mom was worried and we listened to your heart again today. Last night you had a bit of a kick for us when we were checking it. Both times you were pumping along at about 140-145 per minute.

I guess I should tell you that there was a big event this past week. I told you I had been spending time on the phone convincing people to vote democratic. The election was a big success for us. Democrats took over the majority in both the house and the senate, against the predictions of some 'experts.' I felt great about my small part in making that happen. I really enjoyed talking to people all over the country: New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, California. and Nevada.

Anyway, we are expecting you to be born in 49 days. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I'll write again soon.
Love, aba